Martinsburg daily gazette. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1887-1887, 1887-06-18
How TO WRITE 4 SERMON.
Tho Rev. EdwarsI =. Male Tells How ne
-Ev1a Composes . Pulpit Address.

The Rev. Edwarsl -. Hai0 Tells How BE
Eu Composes = Pulpit Address.
II havc exactly ny own way, li,sc to
address myself to this business Of writing
at time when shall not be interrupted,
even Tor second, and when may write
or dictate with as nearly rho conditions Of
"a public address al possible. huvc little
fait.i in, introtluc.ions, 80 called, to my
address. dislike excessively tho habit
OF introducinss tic speaker either 1T Ice
rurc or |. thinner party ITO man ought
to be his own introduction. IL eain quito
sure lat Tire rl:lo Of I'm old adviser OF mine
is good: ayyhc.i yosr scrrion is written,
leave out the introduction. 4 / think tie
writer should address himself ct once to
the re.I SiiIDjcct.. ] 20 not taiak that
there /, any reason why ho should tell
people Low he came to think Of it. or how
he learned about it, or iii any w:.J why he
is talking about it. Either 1t is important
or itisIot. II IL Is not, he siioild not be
speaking Of It; IL il is, its Importance will
establish itself asllc goes on.
Lbegin, then, and mako, as clearly and
distinctly as 4 en-, la the very outset Of
what Aavc to say, d statement Of my OBJ
jcct, what expect to prove or what /
have tostell. And, as have intilnatetl, j
am hurt and troubled, II, while i am che
gagged III dong this, man comes IN Who
wants to ak ID me about normal school
In Bcrtfe Hic. rds couAty, or about tho
education OF widows ut Thibet like to
havsHa fair chance at that statement, and
/ ike to do this alone, with my own hand
AID my own pen.
Then, IL the fortune Of war obliges me
ito leave OF, after have made this initial
statement, / am willing to accept the for
tunes Of war cni to leave of. But think
lLhad rather 90 on and forge my iron ut
one heat, instead of being Obliged to put it
back into the Goals and heat it again.
After this beginning am perfectly will
ling to work with an amannensis, and, in
fact, generally do. / am. disposed to
think that the habit Of using the voice in
the composition of sermon Is good one,
as holding one to the normal conditions Of
the sermon, which, as i said, are the cor
ditions Of any simple public address. 4
course man can train himself to do II Is
when he Is writing with his own has.d;
tmt If he Is walking up and down the
room with an intelligent amanuensia, he
Il, so to speak, trying his address in such
q way that he at least hears it, And the
audience which Is to be has the advantage
that the very words which they listen to
have been already formed upon the ear,
and have reverberated upon the ear drum
Of somebody.
In practice find that the ordinary adj
dress of half an hour IA length can be put
on paper with perfect lease In two such
sessions as describe. In practice, also.
1 like to write myself In the tlrst Of these
sessions, and use the hand Of an accom-
plished and experienced amanuensis for
the second. But there Is no reason known
70 me why the whole address should not
Be written at one session; and, Ike other
men In my profession, have frequently
f0und.it more convcnient 60 do SO. Rev
Edward H. Hale in The Tier.